Protesters lock themselves to Capitol railing

Madison - After months of chaos within the Capitol, authorities thought they had seen everything.

But they were in for a shock Thursday when they found two protesters had affixed themselves to the railings of the Senate gallery with bike locks.

Just after the Senate convened at 11 a.m., the protesters, one man and one woman, used U-shaped bike locks to lock their necks to the railing as part of a demonstration against Gov. Scott Walker's budget. Along with the two locked to the railing, a group of protesters loudly chanted "Kill the bill."

Senate President Mike Ellis (R-Neenah) gaveled the legislative body into recess as a dozen State Patrol officers gathered in the gallery to address the situation.

To cut the locks off the two protesters - Chris French, 20, and Bridgette O'Brien, 23, - Capitol police called on the University of Wisconsin Police Department to bring in a special cutting device.

Capitol Police spokeswoman Lori Getter said that although Capitol Police have similar cutters, they had to use the UW department's device for the especially strong locks. Getter said paramedics were on the scene in the gallery but neither of the protesters was hurt during the lock-cutting.

"It's unfortunate that these individuals decided to take this type of action," Getter said.

O'Brien said the extreme action was necessary to protest the state budget proceedings.

"We need to start stepping it up," O'Brien said.

Meanwhile, French told Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs that he had swallowed the key to his lock.

At one point, Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) sat down next to O'Brien and asked her to unlock the lock herself. She refused.

Capitol police put blankets around the protesters before the bicycle locks were cut away. There was a loud clank as the locks were cut off.

The removal of the locks - and the protesters - brought to an end another strange incident during the months-long demonstrations at the Capitol.

French and O'Brien were arrested on allegations of disorderly conduct, resisting an officer and unlawful assembly. Six other people in the Capitol had been arrested on allegations of disorderly conduct as of 3 p.m. Thursday, police said.

Getter said that any type of locking device would be banned from the Capitol, and that backpacks would no longer be allowed into the gallery.

After the locks were cut and the protesters were removed from the gallery, the Senate reconvened shortly after 1 p.m.

Later Thursday, a group of several hundred protesters made their voices heard using less extreme methods outside the Capitol.

Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, encouraged the crowd to continue to voice opposition to the state budget and the lawmakers who are voting to pass it.

"This is not a race, this is a marathon," Mitchell said. "This is a rally to say, 'Don't go home.' "

Later Thursday, several protesters tried to rush an entry door to the Senate. Six protesters hunkered down and chanted, "This is not the Wisconsin way" before state police took them away.

Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.